Firstly where I am at with the parlor guitar. A vid:
As you can see I've been busy. Firstly, yes both the top and back plates are flat, not domed as on most modern guitars. I did this because it simplifies things and the plan I am referring to of a 1930s Stella has a flat soundboard. I know that doming the soundboard has a number of advantages such as "improving" the sound as well as allowing better for wood movement due to humidity changes. But I like being different and I wanted to prove that a flat soundboard will work for this kind of instrument. I have decided that I will fit this guitar with silk-and-steel strings which will give a mellower sound. The lower string tension will also allow for the whole instrument to be more lightly built.
I made the neck out of a plank of Mahogany that I bought many years ago. Mahogany is a lovely wood to deal with. It's a pleasure to work and is very stable. Unfortunately most of the Mahogany that is available comes from unsustainable sources. So I won't be buying any more Mahogany unless the seller can prove that it comes from an ethical source. There are Mahogany plantations in India I have been told so there are ethical sources. As a rule, if you see timber for sale, the more expensive it is the more likely it comes from an ethical source. An unfortunate reality. I do have a stock of Meranti and various Australian timbers that I will use up but I'm going to try in future to be more careful about where I source materials.
Anyway, after that digression let me talk about he neck. I've decided this guitar will have a 24 inch scale-length. It will be quite wide at the nut as I like a wide neck. I cut the plank of Mahogany into three pieces, The plank had been machine-planed by the supplier which made things easier. I glued the three pieces together to make a quarter-sawn block. I should mention that for all operations on this guitar I will be using Titebond. I've tried other adhesives but I always come back to trusty old Titebond. I marked out the neck and cut the shape using a bandsaw. I cut the "side-on" shape first. I didn't do a scarf joint for the headstock as many others do as I hate doing scarf joints. You may chose to do a scarf joint and enjoy the challenge but I find it easier to cut the neck from three-piece blank. You create more waste this way but it's just the way I chose to do things.
I cut a groove down the middle of the neck blank with my rebate plane. Cutting the groove was a cinch as the Mahogany is quite soft and doesn't tear-out like some timbers. Doing this operation made me realize why Mahogany was the wood of choice for instrument makers for such a long time. It's easy to work, doesn't tear out and holds fine detail. I then set about figuring out how to do the truss rod. Given the fact that this is a short-scale instrument and will have low-tension strings it may not need a truss rod. More thought and research on this issue will ensue.
I decided that this neck will have a butt joint where it meets the body. I have mostly done my necks this way. I drill two holes in the neck block to take bolts which will thread into inserts screwed into the neck heel. Lately I've been experimenting with a different method which involves screwing on the neck before attaching the back. I realize that this is an unconventional way of doing things and I wouldn't use this method if I was building a guitar with a normal scale length and steel strings. I like to experiment as you can see.
More soon...